A staybusk is a stiffener that was inserted into a ladies corset or corsage . It had become a custom in the 18 th and 19 th centuries for sailors , especially those on board whaling ships , to make these to present to their sweethearts as love tokens .
The earliest known staybusk is made of wood and dated 1660 and can be seen in Birmingham City Museum in the Pinto collection . Another dated 1675 is in the Victoria and Albert Museum , London . The majority were made between 1760 and 1800 , the dictates of fashion eventually rendering them obsolete .
This example has the initials H D & A D and was probably made to commemorate a marriage .